New OPCS 4.3 codes from April

8th March 2006
A new clinical coding system which is required to support payment by results has been received favourably but there are concerns about the level of resources needed to implement it nationally.

At the end of February, a conference organised by the Health Service Journal heard that the experience of implementing the new OPCS 4.3 clinical coding system in 10 pilot sites has been extremely positive. Furthermore, NHS Connecting for Health has given assurances that the system is quick to learn and easy to use. However, health managers are still concerned that the 1767 new codes that have been added - some into new areas of care such as interventional radiology and chemotherapy - will reduce productivity